Drupal is an open-source & free CMS with the strong support of a huge community. Right from using basic websites to complex applications, you can use Drupal for everything. Drupal is created in the PHP based environment & carries a General Public License (GNU) that gives you the freedom to share & download it.
Why it’s Important to Update your Drupal Website?
Yes! We know that Drupal is quite a secure platform for the business. But it is still not completely secured from the hands of hackers. Of course Drupal has many security experts who work continuously to check for weaknesses in the core.
Whether you have a small or large project, you need to keep in mind that it can be targeted by the spammers. Now the major issue here is once the word related to the security issue goes out, the hackers will be scanning the web to just look for those vulnerabilities.
So be wise enough in terms of your website security, always update the new security patch available regularly. However, a Drupal site that is regularly maintained & updated on issues will perform as expected and it will also save your lot of expenses in the long run.
What does Drupal Maintenance and Support Services Include?
The maintenance and support service includes several services. However, here we are with the important ones which you should consider.
# Making Security Updates
Security updates are one of the important factors that you need to consider for your website. When we are talking about a website that are built on CMS such as Drupal, you have to look over several moving parts. For this, you need to install web security in it & often update the website with a security patch. Also, remember leaving your website vulnerable will compromise the security of your site as we have discussed in above topics.
# Drupal’s Security Update Ensures
Auto-update and core validation work in partnership with GitHub
Information sharing via security reports
Mitigation of DoS (Denial of Service) attacks
Prevention of malicious data entry
User Access Control
Patching of issues before they’re exploited
Database Encryption
# Version Update
Every new update in software is targeted to fix the bugs or security issues that were found in the earlier version. It will be good to update your website to the latest version because it improves the features, functions, & security of your website.
This will ultimately keep your website secure & off from any threats and today the latest stable version is Drupal 9.0. Now you can upgrade to latest Drupal 9 version directly from version 7 or if you are using version 8 then also you can upgrade to version 9.0
# Third-party integration support
Not only your website but the plugins & other integrations that you have on your website from the third party should be constantly updated. The updates will help you to reduce the errors, improve in functions, & increase in bug fixing.
In case if you are not updating for your website, then you will miss some good things for sure that can compromise your experience. Also, you need to have third-party integration support services included in your website maintenance & support service.
# Regression Testing
The regression testing is implemented to ensure that the changes in the Drupal web app do not affect the other existing functionality.
Here regression testing is implementing to ensure that the changes in the Drupal web app do not affect the other existing functions. When a new code change is made to the existing ones, we carry out regression testing.
The main aim of regression testing is to make sure that the new modifications have not affected the existing ones in any negative manner. It also catches the bugs & fixes it quickly. It makes sure that the new changes are making well with the other features & functions into the applications.
# Bug Resolution
During the software maintenance stage, developers carry out the task of bug resolution. Here they focus on to find, fix, & document bugs. Hire Dedicated Drupal Developers can carry out this task in a collaborative manner & use their expertise to resolve bugs efficiently.
# Hosting infrastructure Maintenance
When it comes to online business, most of the website owners end up spending the majority of their time working on daily operations & managing vendors.
Today it’s easy to focus more on the IT infrastructure by going for a dedicated hosting provider. This will provide you with more time to concentrate on your business properly.
# 360-degree monitoring and abnormality Alerts
This service will offer you continuous monitoring of the business and look for issues everywhere. By going for dedicated maintenance and support service, it will become possible to keep an eye on different aspects of the business.
# Emergency Support
What if your website becomes inaccessible to the users one fine day? Here you have to manage the situations quickly and make things right. This is where you need to have emergency support service to your website & a dedicated maintenance & support service can offer you this.
# Minor Feature Improvements
Drupal does not always opt for the huge and critical modifications but Drupal website maintenance service will ensure that even the small changes can be applied to the website as per the requirements.
Drupal maintenance & support services are different from business to business. Suppose you have a business that is of an intermediate level then you can simply go for a standard plan which will cover the business around 4 hours. Such a plan will be enough to cover all the maintenance needs of the business website.
How to Reduce Drupal Maintenance & Support Cost?
# Plan Ahead
Developing a Drupal site is not the end of the story, but from here begins the second half. If you want to keep your Drupal site running as expected then you should plan the maintenance service.
Through the proper plan, you can keep a track of everything beforehand & this will also save you from error later. Keeping everything under control means you will be saving on your budget too.
# Do Research
Maintaining a website is not a small thing but it is a regular happening expense that’s why you need to check all the aspects to keep it under control.
First, identify the recurring cost that will require on your website. Once you have listed them down, it’s time to know whether they are important to be carried out or not.
# Always use Latest Drupal Version
It’s essential to use the latest Drupal version for your website. It will better that you manually check for updates every few days. Because every new version release is focused on fixing bugs & correcting errors. In the end, it will do well to you & save you with maintenance costs later.
# Maintain Clean Coding Standards
The developer who writes code for your Drupal site will not be carrying the maintenance of the website later. This means if you are not clear about your coding, you will end up wasting more time and money on the developer who will be later carrying out the maintenance services. This can be avoided to a great extent by making use of proper comments and documentation along with your codes.
This will offer clarity to the developer when maintaining the site and help him get the work done quickly. Such a step will save a good amount on the maintenance budget too.
# Never use outdated third Party Modules
Generally, Drupal developers make use of third party modules on the website to add in extra features. But if your modules are not updated then it will not offer the expected results & will also create compatibility issues with the latest version of Drupal.
# Hire developer from Countries like India
The developers in Asian countries such as India will charge less amount of price for their Drupal Development Services & maintenance. It means, if you choose to go for a developer from India for your Drupal maintenance & support services, you will be able to save significantly well on your budget.
# Think before Implementing new Functionality
When you release a Drupal site, you only add in the functionality and feature’s which are needed to get started. Later everything is added in the new releases.
From above what we mean to say is that when you plan to add in a new function of a later release, you need to analyze its need first. Be sure that it adds some value to the website. If it does not do much to your site then there is no meaning in spending money, time, & effort in building it in the first place.
Summing-up
Today Drupal is one of the most popular CMS solutions in the market. Many big giants use Drupal for their website development. Because if building the website is crucial then maintaining it is critical too.
This means you will be spending money and effort in the years to come just to ensure your Drupal site performs as expected. Shiv Technolabs Pvt. Ltd. a leading Drupal Development Company in the industry will help you without affecting your budget drastically by controlling the maintenance and support service costs.
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